International Teletimes
Early online general-interest magazine published 1992–1995
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The International Teletimes was an online magazine published from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded by Ian Wojtowicz, it began publication in October 1992. The magazine received a "Best of the Net" award from the Global Network Navigator (GNN).
| |
| Editor | Ian Wojtowicz |
|---|---|
| Categories | General interest |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Country | Canada |
| Based in | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Language | English |
| Website | http://teletimes.com/ at the Wayback Machine (archived May 3, 1998) |
| ISSN | 1198-3604 |
History and content
Ian Wojtowicz, who lived in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, created the International Teletimes in October 1992, publishing it on Edgeways, a Vancouver bulletin board system.[1] The initial editions of the publication did not have images or a cover. Wojtowicz hired Anand Mani, a graphic designer, who brought images to the publication.[1] The magazine was published under a shareware model and in three formats: DOCMaker, ASCII, and the World Wide Web (WWW).[1][2][3] The web version began in January 1994.[1] English, French, and Esperanto were the languages it was published in.[4]
The International Teletimes is a general-interest magazine and among the initial online magazines of that genre.[4] Each issue is focused on a theme. Previous themes were the environment, television, movies, history, travel, and most-liked authors.[5] Authors write columns about short stories, and food.[2] Tom Davis was the wine columnist.[6] Kent Barrett, a photographer, authored a column for the magazine.[4] People who lived in Austria, Iran, Japan, Portugal, and Russia had penned articles for the publication.[4] In 1995, the publication had around 1,500 readers and its authors and editors did not receive any money.[4]
Reception
The author Neil Randall called the International Teletimes "nicely designed and always interesting".[7] The author David H. Rothman wrote of International Teletimes that "some of the prose could have graced Harper's or the Atlantic".[8] He cited an article by Paul Gribble, a college student, who had taken a train ride during the winter, that said "Every now and then we pass a lake, completely frozen over, flat and white, smooth as a skating rink. I'd love to walk to the center of a big frozen lake like that and just sit there for a while. I'd feel like the first blot of paint on a fresh silk canvas."[8] The Global Network Navigator (GNN) gave the International Teletimes a "Best of the Net" award alongside 11 other web content when Wojtowicz was 16 years old.[1][3][4] The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation did a feature on the magazine.[9] The journalist Robert Duncan featured Ian Wojtowicz and International Teletimes on his 1996 PBS documentary "Understanding the Internet".[10][11]
The writers Bob Powell and Karen Wickre said that the International Teletimes "offers both interesting graphics and a wide variety of well written articles" and said "we think you'll enjoy it." They praised the advice column of Dr. Ignacious Bean as being "More fun than Dear Abby!"[12] A Barnes & Noble Books publication called the magazine "graphically appealing ... though still under constant construction".[13]